Canada



W. A. AND 8. WILSON.

STREET INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.5. 19x8.

1 ,3 1 6,470 Patented Sept. 16, 1919.

W //5 f 4 '51? ye -1Q? NEXTSTOP HHGH ST 211: ARGYLE ST 2 2 /2 l4 POINT TD \\\5 A BY Qydn M/sor z,

Awva.

|| \x-muwu cu" WASHINGTON I). c.

Hmwzzwmn-as h a/ter a/exander ill [9a).-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER ALEXANDER WILSON AND SYDNEY wILsoN', or VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

STREET-INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept, 16, 1919.

Application filed August 5, 1918. Serial No; 248,405.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that we, WVALTER ALEXANDER l/VILsoN and SYDNEY WILsoN, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, and both residents of the city of Vancouver, in the Prov ince of British Columbia, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street-Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in street indicators, and the object of our invention is to provide a device adapted for installations in street cars by means of which the names of streets past which the car travels may be indicated in a simple manner to the passengers prior to the arrival of the car thereat, and which device is simple in construction and easy of operation. A further object is to devise a street indicator having automatic stopping and spacing means whereby the movement of a band on which i the street names are displayed is automatically controlled so that the minimum amount of attention on the part of the operator is required,

' "We attain these objects by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a face view of the device.

' Fig. 2 isa back view with cover removed. Fig. 3 is aside view with side plate re moved. v Fg. 4 is an enlarged detail plan view of the automatic spacing means. r

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of the insulated socket.

Similar figures of reference indicate lar parts throughout the several views.

The device consists of a casing 1, formed of any suitable material and of any preferred shape having on its front side a display opening 2. Rotatably mounted within the casing adjacent its upper and lower ends are upper and lower rollers 3 and 4 respecsimitively to which the ends of a ribbon 5 are] secured and on which the ribbon may be wound by the rotation of the rollers, the rotation being efi'ected by means of a suitably mounted shaft 6 provided with worms 7 and 8 adapted to mesh with worm gears 9 and 10 secured respectively to the shafts of the rollers 3 and 4, the shaft 6 being mounted for longitudinal movement so that the worms 7 and 8 may be moved at will into or out of gear with'their respective gears 9 and 10, a suitably mounted manually operated lever 11 having one end in engagement with the shaft being provide'd for'the purpose of moving the shaft when required.

12 and 13 indicate guide rollers for the ribbon, which passes between them and a spacing roller 14: rotatably mounted in prox imity to the upper roller 3 and the circumference of which is equal to the depth of the display opening 2. This roller 14: may be of any suitable material, but its ends, however, are metallic, such as being formed of brass disks 15 and 16, and in order that these disks may be adapted for electrical contact with one another they are mounted directly 'on a metal shaft 17, or if it is preferred to insulate them from the shaftthen connection 1s established by means of;a wire 18, indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2,the wire having its-ends soldered to the disks and eX- tending therebetween within the roller.

20 indicates a member disposed adjacent one end ofthe spacing roller '14 and fularm25' being'provided on its free end with a ball shaped projection 26 adapted also to bear on the roller end and to engage at a predetermined point in the rotation of-the roller a cup shaped socket 27 formed in a vulcanite portion 28 set into the brass disk 15which' forms the end of the roller and flush with the face of thesame. 29 indicates a contact member suitably secured at one end to the casing adjacent the disk 16 of the roller 14 and formed so that its free end bears resiliently on the disk.

A small electric motor 30 for operating the worm shaft 6 is mounted on a base plate 31 and its shaft is belt-connected to the shaft 6 by means of suitable pulleys 32 and 33 and the belt 34. u

The circuit wiring foroperating the device is as shown, in Fig. 2, the main supply wires being indicated by the numerals 35 lid and 36, these wires being led from any suitable source to the terminals 37 and 38, from which branch wires 39 and 40 are led to the contact member 29 and one of the motor terminals, the other motor terminalbeing connected by a wire d8 to the terminal &1 in connection with the handle 12 of a switch 43, this switch being also provided with terminals eat and 4:5 to the right and left of the handle 42, from which terminalswires 16 and 47 are. led to the contact arms 2st and 25 respectively.

Having, thus indicated the principal parts of the invention its operation will now be described.

WVhen it is desired to move the band or ribbonfipasti the display opening-2 so as to bring intov'iew the name of the next street the operator-first moves theswitch handle 42 to the right so that it makes contact with terminal Leland: then immediately throwsit over to the left to; make contactwithterminal 45. 'Now, when the switch was moved to the right the circuit was completed through main wires 35, branch wire '39,

nation: of a completerevolution of theroller '14,;h0wever, the end of; arm 2-5 contacts with the vulcanite portion 28, thus automatically breaking the circuit and stopping the motorand on the completion. of the revolution the ball shaped projection 26 enters the socket 27 and prevents further movement of the roller, and as the circumference of the roller is equal to thedistance the ribbon travels at'each movement it will be, evident that-the travel of the ribbon is thus'automatically controlled without attention on the part of the operator, whoseonl-y care is-to firstmovc the switch handlefirst to theiright and then to the left.

From the foregoingait willbe seen that an electric circuit terminal providedwith an accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

WVhat we claim as our invention is ,1. In a street indicator, a casing having a display opening, 1 a band bearing street names, mechanism for moving said band past: the display opening, an electric motor for operating said mechanism, a band-0peratedroller havingone end adapted toform insulated portion, a pair ofsuitably supported.fingersaadapted to bear on the'terminal' end of the-roller one in advance of the other: each finger forming a cireuitterminal, an @electrical circuit-in which said motor, said roller terminal and the rear tinger terminal are disposed, a circuit 1Il=Wh10ll said motor, saidrollerterminal and the: ad-

vanced finger terminalare disposed, and a switch for the alternate control of said circuits.

2. In astreet indicator, a casinghaving a display opening, a ibandbearing street names, mechanism for moving said band pastithe. display opening, an electricmotor for operating said mechanism, aband-operated roller having one end adapted to form 1 an electric circuit terminal provided :with an insulated part having a socket, a; pair of suitably supported spring-pressed :fingers adapted tolbearon the terminal endof the roller one in advance of the other eachfinger forming a circuibterminal and theadvanced finger having a projection adapted to co -act with thesaid insulated socket, an electrical circuit in which said motor, said roller terminal andthe rear finger are disposed, a circuit in which said motor, said roller terminal and the advanced finger are disposed, and a switch for-the alternatecontrol of the; said circuits.-

Dated at Vancouver, B, 0., this 15th day ofiJuly, 1918.

WALTER ALEXANDER WILSON. SYDNEY WILSON.

Gopiu 0t .this p atent maybe obtained lonfivecents each, by iaddressing sthe icommissionet ot- Patentl, Washington, D. ,0." 

